Downtown: Atlanta

Downtown Atlanta remains a business and government district and is slowly developing into nightlife destination with the opening of several upscale hotels and trendy restaurants. Downtown is also home to Atlanta's professional sports, including Atlanta Hawks basketball and Thrashers hockey, which can both be experienced at the Philips Arena. The Georgia Dome, home of the Falcon's football, and Centennial Olympic Park are also located downtown and are well-known destination built for the 1996 Olympic Games. The downtown skyline is dominated by major hotels and office buildings including the headquarters of The Coca-Cola Co. and other international corporations. New additions to the downtown view include the W Atlanta Downtown Hotel and Residences at Allen Plaza and boutique hotel, the Palomar, which are both attracting a trendier crowd to downtown's streets. Business destination, The Peachtree Center, includes a mall with restaurants and shopping and The Georgia World Congress Center hosts a variety of trade shows and conventions each year. In the distance, the golden-domed building is the Georgia State Capital. In the past few years, downtown has reinvigorated itself as a tourist destination. From the opening of the Georgia Aquarium to the New World of Coca-Cola, throngs of visitors make their way through downtown to check these worthwhile destinations off their list. Don't forget to take a whirl through the CNN Center, home to the cable television's first 24-hour news network, or a trip through the subterranean shops and restaurants at Underground Atlanta, opened in 1989. © NileGuide